A new hybrid haemoglobin: haemoglobin Strumica/Beograd occurring in an individual with four haemoglobins

An investigation of the cord blood from full term twin infants revealed an additional haemoglobin F component due to an abnormal alpha chain. The father of the twins, whose blood picture was normal, was shown to have normal alpha and beta polypeptide chains together with variant alpha and beta polypeptide chains. Electrophoresis showed that he had four major haemoglobin components. Separation of the haemoglobin fractions by column chromatography, globin preparation, chain separation, tryptic and chymotryptic digestion and peptide map preparation led to the identification of haemaglobin A, haemoglobin Strumica (alpha2 112His leads to Arg beta2), haemoglobin D Beograd (alpha2beta2 121 Glu leads to Val) and a hybrid haemoglobin Strumica D/Beograd (alpha2 112His leads to Argbeta2 121Glu leads to Val).

The isolation and identification of haemoglobin Lephore Boston (Washington) in an Australian family

Haemoglobin Lepore is a haemoglobin variant associated with a thalassaemia-like disorder. It has been only rarely detected in Anglo-Saxons and its occurrrence in an Australian family of British and stock is reported for the first time. The appearances of the blood film resemble those seen in various hypochromic anaemias, inclusing thalassaemia traits, and on this account it is of clinical importance to recognize it in order to avoid unnecessary investigation and treatment. The chemical structure of nine examples of haemoglobin Lepore has been confirmed by peptide mapping and amino acid analysis, and the genetic mechanisms postulated for the production of haemoglobin Lepore are discussed.

Haemoglobin Camperdown beta104(G6) arginine leads to serine

Routine investigation of ante natal patients revealed a subtle change in the electrophoretic pattern on cellulose acetate of the proposita. Further investigations by isoelectric focussing in polyacrylamide gel suggested the presence of two major haemoglobin components. Using a modified cellulose acetate technique globin chain separation revealed an abnormal beta-chain. Chain separation on a carboxymethyl-cellulose column provided a pure sample of the abnormal beta-chain. After amino-ethylation, tryptic digestion and peptide mapping, amino acid analysis of relevant peptides showed the abnormality in the beta-chain to be a substitution of arginine by serine at the 104 position. The presence of a positively charged residue at this position would appear to be necessary for the stabilization of the haemoglobin central cavity. The replacement by serine in this haemoglobin leads to slightly decreased stability but does not appear to affect the oxygen affinity.